Fact Sheets > Causes of Stress

Causes of Stress

Some common stressors or factors that trigger or cause stress to develop include (a) environmental factors and processes, (b) biological processes, (c) cognitive learning processes, and (d) other cognitive processes.

a) Environmental factors and processes

Almost any change in our lives is a stressor, these include bad stressors such as loss of job, divorced; and good stressors such as getting married, getting a promotion. This is because we have to deal with a new situation, which we are not sure if we can cope and what consequences we may face. The more life changes we face in a year or two, whether it is good or bad, the greater the chances of you becoming physically or emotionally ill. Particularly, childhood years filled with intense stressful events can predispose us to over-reaction to current stress.

Daily hassles such as continuing pressure at work, steady tension in a relationship, and students with lots of school assignments everyday worrying about wasting too much time; can also be a source of environmental stressor.

Conflicts and barriers that prevent one from achieving our goals can create stress. For example, lack of opportunities to prove to your boss that you are capable to be promoted can cause frustrations and this coupled with not being able to do anything about it can result in stress in the worker.

b) Biological processes

“Happy messengers” such as Serotonin, Noradrenalin, and Dopamine; produced by our brain help us lead a healthy and pleasurable life. The amount of stress that one can tolerate before our happy messengers malfunction is known as our “stress tolerance”. Our stress tolerance is determined by our genes. Most of us have inherited adequate level of stress tolerance to enable us to weather the stresses of daily living. However, occasionally we may still experience short periods of an imbalanced of happy messengers such as when a friend passed away. For those who have unfortunately inherited low levels of stress tolerance, they are more prone to overstress very frequently throughout their lives.

Some people who possess certain personality factors such as neuroticism, pessimism, distrust, and lack of flexibility and confidence; are more prone to experience stress. Those who are perfectionists are also more likely to experience signs and symptoms of stress. People with the tendency to push themselves to excel and failure to achieve their desired goal can lead to stress.

c) Cognitive learning processes

Some of us become stressed in a particular situation while others do not. This could be attributed to our previous learning. Having a “bad experience” may cause us to later become stressed when we find ourselves in a similar situation as we learnt to associate that situation with a painful or scary experience. Even seeing others afraid and being warned of non-existent dangers in a situation can make us afraid in a similar situation.

One’s thinking style can result in development of stress. If we believe that we are helpless and can’t handle the situation, we feel stressed when we encounter such a situation. Similarly, if we have a low self-concept and have a mental set that causes them to see threats and personal failures when others do not, may increase our fears and hence increase our stress level. Irrational thoughts about how one “should” or “must” behave or possess things can also cause stress. So does the act of placing blame on self when things do not work out.

d) Social support

Availability of social support plays an important role in determining whether someone can cope with everyday demands, and/or sudden crisis. Having social support can come in the form of having friends who spend time with you and listen empathetically to your frustrations, friends who share their experiences with you (this itself is therapeutic, which is why there are so many support groups), friends who “chip in” their time to either help you run errands or to allow you to have some time off to relax a while. Studies had showed that those with chronic illnesses are able to cope better with their illnesses because of these types of support.